Eric Shanteau

Eric Shanteau

Shanteau in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Eric Lee Shanteau
Nationality	United States
Born	October 1, 1983 (1983-10-01) Snellville, Georgia, USA
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Stroke(s)	Breaststroke, Medley
Club	Longhorn Aquatics
College team	Auburn University
Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for the United States World Championships (LC) Gold 2009 Rome 4x100 m medley Gold 2011 Shanghai 4×100 m medley Silver 2009 Rome 200 m breaststroke Bronze 2009 Rome 200 m medley World Championships (SC) Bronze 2004 Indianapolis 400 m medley Summer Universiade Gold 2005 Izmir 200 m medley Gold 2005 Izmir 400 m medley Silver 2003 Daegu 400 m medley Pan Pacific Championships Bronze 2010 Irvine 200 m breaststroke

Eric Lee Shanteau (born October 1, 1983 in Snellville, Georgia) is an American Olympic swimmer. He lives and trains in Austin, Texas.

Swimming career

College

Shanteau attended Parkview High School where he became a national swimming champion while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. He swam collegiately at Auburn University, where he was an 11-time All American. At the 2003 World University Games, Shanteau won the silver medal in the 400 m IM. At the 2005 World University Games, Shanteau won gold in both the 200 m IM and 400 m IM, making him the first American to sweep both events.

At the 2004 US Olympic Trials in Long Beach, California, Shanteau placed third in both the 200 m IM and 400 m IM, just missing a place on the Olympic roster in both events. Shanteau also placed 11th in the 200 m breaststroke.

Cancer diagnosis and 2008 Olympic Games

On July 3, 2008, Shanteau placed second in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, guaranteeing himself a spot on the team set to compete in Beijing, China. The week before, Shanteau was informed that he had testicular cancer, but chose to compete in the meet regardless. He competed in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where, despite missing the finals by .13 second, he posted a personal best time. After returning to the United States, he underwent surgery on August 27, 2008. Shanteau is now in remission and active in cancer awareness.

2009

At the 2009 US National Championships and World Championship Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, Shanteau placed second to Mark Gangloff in the 100 m breaststroke with a time of 59.45. In the 200 m IM, Shanteau placed second to Ryan Lochte with a time of 1:56.00, making him the third fastest performer ever in that event. Shanteau won the 200 m breaststroke final in 2:08.01, breaking his own American record he set in the preliminaries of the meet. All of Shanteau's final times in Indianapolis were personal bests, and he qualified to swim all three of his individual events at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome.

At the World Championships in Rome, Shanteau placed second in the 200 m breaststroke (2:07.65), third in the 200 m IM (1:55.36), and fourth in the 100 m breaststroke (58.98). Shanteau was also part of the 4x100 m medley relay alongside Aaron Peirsol, Michael Phelps, and David Walters, which won the gold medal in a new world record of 3:27.28.

Personal bests

Long course meters
Stroke	Distance	Time	Date
Breaststroke	100 m	58.96 AR	July 26, 2009
Breaststroke	200 m	2:07.42 AR	July 30, 2009
Medley	200 m	1:55.36	July 30, 2009
Medley	400 m	4:14.33	August 1, 2006
AR=American record

External links

• Eric Shanteau Official Website
• USA Swimming athlete bio: Eric Shanteau
• Eric Shanteau Official Bio